Winemaker Notes
Willow Creek Cuvee is a bold beauty! A deep plum color emerges in the glass drawing you in for what is a wonderful ride. Aromas of plum, red fruits, forest floor, and a distant campfire trascend to a generous palate of rich, savory berry tart and Lapsong on the veranda. While approachable now with a decant, it will spread its wings with some time in the cellar and store for quite some time.
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
Also Grenache-dominated, the 2017 Willow Creek Cuvée checks in as 70% Grenache, 20% Syrah, and 10% Mourvèdre that saw 30% stems and aging in 30% new barrels and puncheons. It's always slightly deeper colored than the Garnacha release and offers a great nose of pure black cherries, blackberries, singed cedar, ground pepper, and hints of chocolate. Beautifully textured, layered, and balanced, you can't go wrong with this cuvée, which will keep for upwards of a decade.
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Wine Enthusiast
Well-integrated aromas of black plum, mushroom, forest floor and lilac make for a stunning nose on this blend of 70% Grenache, 20% Syrah and 10% Mourvèdre from Cris Cherry. The flavors are also cohesive and unique, tossing roasted strawberry with savory touches of pepper dust and soy sauce
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Wine Spectator
Sleek and polished, with vibrant raspberry, grilled meat and licorice flavors that build richness toward refined tannins. Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre. Drink now through 2029.
With bold fruit flavors and accents of sweet spice, Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre form the base of the classic Rhône Red Blend, while Carignan, Cinsault and Counoise often come in to play. Though they originated from France’s southern Rhône Valley, with some creative interpretation, Rhône blends have also become popular in other countries. Somm Secret—Putting their own local spin on the Rhône Red Blend, those from Priorat often include Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. In California, it is not uncommon to see Petite Sirah make an appearance.
Paso Robles has made a name for itself as a source of supple, powerful, fruit-driven Central Coast wines. But with eleven smaller sub-AVAs, there is actually quite a bit of diversity to be found in this inland portion of California’s Central Coast.
Just east over the Santa Lucia Mountains from the chilly Pacific Ocean, lie the coolest in the region: Adelaida, Templeton Gap and (Paso Robles) Willow Creek Districts, as well as York Mountain AVA and Santa Margarita Ranch. These all experience more ocean fog, wind and precipitation compared to the rest of the Paso sub-appellations. The San Miguel, (Paso Robles) Estrella, (Paso Robles) Geneso, (Paso Robles) Highlands, El Pomar and Creston Districts, along with San Juan Creek, are the hotter, more western appellations of the greater Paso Robles AVA.
This is mostly red wine country, with Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel standing out as the star performers. Other popular varieties include Merlot, Petite Sirah, Petit Verdot, Syrah, Grenache and Rhône blends, both red and white. There is a fairly uniform tendency here towards wines that are unapologetically bold and opulently fruit-driven, albeit with a surprising amount of acidity thanks to the region’s chilly nighttime temperatures.